{
	"id": "08e29746-8177-4abe-815a-fa3e82d9ed43",
	"created_at": "2026-04-06T00:13:24.795539Z",
	"updated_at": "2026-04-10T03:20:52.913883Z",
	"deleted_at": null,
	"sha1_hash": "f69e7dca5b91ca023990f63c65db80b3e91abf22",
	"title": "Introduction to AppleScript Language Guide",
	"llm_title": "",
	"authors": "",
	"file_creation_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
	"file_modification_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
	"file_size": 72592,
	"plain_text": "Introduction to AppleScript Language Guide\r\nPublished: 2016-01-25 · Archived: 2026-04-05 15:49:27 UTC\r\nThis document is a guide to the AppleScript language—its lexical conventions, syntax, keywords, and other\r\nelements. It is intended primarily for use with AppleScript 2.0 or later and macOS version 10.5 or later.\r\nAppleScript 2.0 can use scripts developed for any version of AppleScript from 1.1 through 1.10.7, any scripting\r\naddition created for AppleScript 1.5 or later for macOS, and any scriptable application for Mac OS v7.1 or later. A\r\nscript created with AppleScript 2.0 can be used by any version of AppleScript back to version 1.1, provided it does\r\nnot use features of AppleScript, scripting additions, or scriptable applications that are unavailable in that version.\r\nWhat Is AppleScript?\r\nAppleScript is a scripting language created by Apple. It allows users to directly control scriptable Macintosh\r\napplications, as well as parts of macOS itself. You can create scripts—sets of written instructions—to automate\r\nrepetitive tasks, combine features from multiple scriptable applications, and create complex workflows.\r\nA scriptable application is one that can be controlled by a script. For AppleScript, that means being responsive to\r\ninterapplication messages, called Apple events, sent when a script command targets the application. (Apple events\r\ncan also be sent directly from other applications and macOS.)\r\nAppleScript itself provides a very small number of commands, but it provides a framework into which you can\r\nplug many task-specific commands—those provided by scriptable applications and scriptable parts of macOS.\r\nMost script samples and script fragments in this guide use scriptable features of the Finder application, scriptable\r\nparts of macOS, or scriptable applications distributed with macOS, such as TextEdit (located in /Applications ).\r\nWho Should Read This Document?\r\nYou should use this document if you write or modify AppleScript scripts, or if you create scriptable applications\r\nand need to know how scripts should work.\r\nAppleScript Language Guide assumes you are familiar with the high-level information about AppleScript found in\r\nAppleScript Overview.\r\nOrganization of This Document\r\nThis guide describes the AppleScript language in a series of chapters and appendixes.\r\nThe first five chapters introduce components of the language and basic concepts for using it, then provide\r\nadditional overview on working with script objects and handler routines:\r\nAppleScript Lexical Conventions describes the characters, symbols, keywords, and other language\r\nelements that make up statements in an AppleScript script.\r\nhttps://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/AppleScript/Conceptual/AppleScriptLangGuide/introduction/ASLR_intro.html\r\nPage 1 of 4\n\nAppleScript Fundamentals describes basic concepts that underly the terminology and rules covered in the\r\nrest of this guide.\r\nVariables and Properties describes common issues in working with variables and properties, including how\r\nto declare them and how AppleScript interprets their scope.\r\nScript Objects describes how to define, initialize, send commands to, and use inheritance with script\r\nobjects.\r\nAbout Handlers provides information on using handlers (a type of function available in AppleScript) to\r\nfactor and reuse code.\r\nThe following chapters provide reference for the AppleScript Language:\r\nClass Reference describes the classes AppleScript defines for common objects used in scripts.\r\nCommands Reference describes the commands that are available to any script.\r\nReference Forms describes the syntax for specifying an object or group of objects in an application or other\r\ncontainer.\r\nOperators Reference provides a list of the operators AppleScript supports and the rules for using them,\r\nalong with sections that provide additional detail for commonly used operators.\r\nControl Statements Reference describes statements that control when and how other statements are\r\nexecuted. It covers standard conditional statements, as well as statements used in error handling and other\r\noperations.\r\nHandler Reference shows the syntax for defining and calling handlers and describes other statements you\r\nuse with handlers.\r\nThe following chapter describes an AppleScript-related feature of macOS:\r\nFolder Actions Reference describes how you can write and attach script handlers to specific folders, such\r\nthat the handlers are invoked when the folders are modified.\r\nThe following appendixes provide additional information about the AppleScript language and how to work with\r\nerrors in scripts:\r\nAppleScript Keywords lists the keywords of the AppleScript language, provides a brief description for\r\neach, and points to related information.\r\nError Numbers and Error Messages describes error numbers and error messages you may see in working\r\nwith AppleScript scripts.\r\nWorking with Errors provides detailed examples of handling errors with try Statements and error\r\nStatements.\r\nhttps://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/AppleScript/Conceptual/AppleScriptLangGuide/introduction/ASLR_intro.html\r\nPage 2 of 4\n\nDouble Angle Brackets describes when you are likely to see double angle brackets (or chevrons— «» ) in\r\nscripts and how you can work with them.\r\nLibraries using Load Script describes how to save libraries of handlers and access them from other scripts.\r\nUnsupported Terms lists terms that are no longer supported in AppleScript.\r\nConventions Used in This Guide\r\nGlossary terms are shown in boldface where they are defined.\r\nThe following conventions are used in syntax descriptions:\r\nlanguage\r\nelement\r\nPlain computer font indicates an element that you type exactly as shown. If there are\r\nspecial symbols (for example, + or \u0026 ), you also type them exactly as shown.\r\nplaceholder Italic text indicates a placeholder that you replace with an appropriate value.\r\n[optional] Brackets indicate that the enclosed language element or elements are optional.\r\n(a group)\r\nParentheses group elements together.\r\nHowever, the parentheses shown in Handler Syntax (Positional Parameters) are part of\r\nthe syntax.\r\n[optional]...\r\nThree ellipsis points (...) after a group defined by brackets indicate that you can repeat the\r\ngroup of elements within brackets 0 or more times.\r\na | b | c\r\nVertical bars separate elements in a group from which you must choose a single element.\r\nThe elements are often grouped within parentheses or brackets.\r\nFilenames\r\nshown in scripts\r\nMost filenames shown in examples in this document include extensions, such as rtf for\r\na TextEdit document. Use of extensions in scripts is generally dependent on the “Show all\r\nfile extensions” setting in the Advanced pane of Finder Preferences.\r\nTo work with the examples on your computer, you may need to modify either that setting\r\nor the filenames.\r\nhttps://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/AppleScript/Conceptual/AppleScriptLangGuide/introduction/ASLR_intro.html\r\nPage 3 of 4\n\nSee Also\r\nThese Apple documents provide additional information for working with AppleScript:\r\nSee Getting Started with AppleScript for a guided quick start, useful to both scripters and developers.\r\nSee AppleScript Overview, including the chapter Scripting with AppleScript, for a high-level overview of\r\nAppleScript and its related technologies.\r\nSee Getting Started With Scripting \u0026 Automation for information on the universe of scripting technologies\r\navailable in macOS.\r\nSee AppleScript Terminology and Apple Event Codes for a list of many of the scripting terms defined by\r\nApple.\r\nFor additional information on working with the AppleScript language and creating scripts, see one of the\r\ncomprehensive third-party documents available in bookstores and online.\r\nSource: https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/AppleScript/Conceptual/AppleScriptLangGuide/introduction/ASLR_intro.h\r\ntml\r\nhttps://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/AppleScript/Conceptual/AppleScriptLangGuide/introduction/ASLR_intro.html\r\nPage 4 of 4",
	"extraction_quality": 1,
	"language": "EN",
	"sources": [
		"MITRE"
	],
	"references": [
		"https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/AppleScript/Conceptual/AppleScriptLangGuide/introduction/ASLR_intro.html"
	],
	"report_names": [
		"ASLR_intro.html"
	],
	"threat_actors": [],
	"ts_created_at": 1775434404,
	"ts_updated_at": 1775791252,
	"ts_creation_date": 0,
	"ts_modification_date": 0,
	"files": {
		"pdf": "https://archive.orkl.eu/f69e7dca5b91ca023990f63c65db80b3e91abf22.pdf",
		"text": "https://archive.orkl.eu/f69e7dca5b91ca023990f63c65db80b3e91abf22.txt",
		"img": "https://archive.orkl.eu/f69e7dca5b91ca023990f63c65db80b3e91abf22.jpg"
	}
}